Dallas Mavericks beat Oklahoma City Thunder 4-1 to clinch the Conference Finals – A Roundup (Part 1)
The Dallas Mavericks defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder 4-1 in the Western Conference Finals to set up a date with the star-studded Miami Heat in the National Basketball Association (NBA) Finals. Although the final scoreline suggests
otherwise, the series between the Mavs and the Thunder was a hard fought one and the brilliance of Dirk Nowitzki ultimately proved to be the difference between the two teams.
Here is review of the five game series between the two western conference powerhouses.
Game-1
Dirk Nowitzki played one of the best post-season games of his career and scored a game-high 48 points as the Mavericks beat the Thunder 121-112 in the series opener at the American Airlines Center.
The 32-year-old also added six rebounds, four assists, and four blocks for Dallas. The German sharp shooter also broke the NBA playoff record for the most consecutive free throws made, going 24-for-24. Boston Celtics’ forward Paul
Pierce held the previous record with a 21-for-21 game in the first-round series against the Indiana Pacers in 2003. Guard Jason Terry came off the bench with 24 points while Jose Barea had 21 points in the victory.
The Thunder All-Star Kevin Durant did all he could to counter Nowitzki and contributed a team-high 40 points, eight rebounds, and five assists. Russell Westbrook had 20 points while Serge Ibaka ended with 17 points. Durant scored
13 of his points in the first quarter and propelled the Thunder to a 27-20 lead, going into the second.
The Mavs came back into the game the second quarter and outscored Oklahoma City 35-21, to take a 55-48 advantage at halftime. Dallas increased the offensive pressure in the third quarter and widened its lead to 83-68 with 02:29
to go. The Thunder scored the next five points to cut the deficit to ten, 83-73. However, the Mavs responded to take a 90-79 lead into the fourth.
Although Durant keyed a comeback for the Thunder in the fourth, Nowitzki made some big shots late as Dallas maintained its hold on the game and took a 1-0 lead in the series.
Game-2
James Harden and Kevin Durant outgunned the Mavericks as the Thunder made a comeback into the series with a hard-fought 106-100 victory in game-2, tying the series at 1-1. The victory snapped the franchise-record seven-game postseason
winning streak of the Mavs.
Harden came off the bench with 23 points, scoring 10 of them in the final stanza. Durant scored 24 points, shooting 11- for-23 from the field, and Westbrook chipped in with 18 points. Nowitzki once again led the Mavericks with
29 points while centre Tyson Chandler added 15 points and a game-high 13 rebounds.
Durant scored 14 of his 24 points in the opening quarter as the Thunder took a 31-26 lead after 12 minutes. Dallas came hard at OKC in the second and flipped a five-point deficit into a 59-57 lead, heading into the locker room.
There was nothing to separate the two teams in the third as the Mavericks carried a 77-76 advantage into the fourth.
In a tightly contested fourth quarter, the Thunder managed to take a 95-90 edge with 05:51 remaining. Nowitzki then hit a fade away jumper shot to cut the deficit to three, however OKC went on an 11-8 in the last five minutes to
seal the victory.
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